Result of the 5th Rosenheim track league Wednesday 22nd July 2015

All are welcome for the relay with leg distances of about 3k / 2miles.
We'll try to organise everyone into equally matched teams to make it
additionally competitive. Joe Nolan is in charge and is adding in an additional
activity featuring a mini obstacle course 'agility/speed/balance' that will be
timed with the winner receiving a prize! Just a short exercise over about 100m
with any faults being penalised, which can be undertaken when runners are not on
their relay leg!

Afterwards there is to be a BBQ at the Heston Venue (Concorde Centre as was).
The food will be complementary for all members and potential members*
who sign up in advance. So you need to sign up in advance! And tell
us what your food preference is. The main choice is between a Beef Burger
in a bap with cheese and fried onions or a Falafel and Spinach burger in the bap
with cheese and fried onions. There will also be salad and coleslaw and
either Lemon Tart or Chocolate Fudge Cake.

So click on the link to send me an email and tell me if you are likely to
run, willing to marshal, if you want to come to the BBQ and your choice of meat or veg burger.
Also could regular attendees please let me know if you are NOT coming - we don't
want to over order.

* If we have a large number of potential
members attend we'll be delighted but we might need to charge a nominal fee to
help cover costs. Also the Heston Venue do charge an entry fee of about £1.50
for non-members. But please don't let this put you off!

Monopoly Event Wednesday 26th August

We will be repeating last Summer's Monopoly competition on Weds 26th, at
1800. This "Club In House Event" is open to everyone.

All ages, from one year olds to ninety-one year olds, are welcome. It's
a tortoise and hare event - walkers could win! It will involve up to 40
minutes of running or strolling, travelling from Old Kent Road to Mayfair,
collecting houses and hotels. Teams will be brought together on the day to
ensure a fun competition.

See you there - bring the family if you can.

Steve Hillier

Advance Notice: Equinox 5k 23rd September

As is traditional the Equinox 5km will be held towards the end of September.

Steve Newell would like to introduce a variation to the course (to make it
more scenic and pleasant) but this would only be as safe as we like with the
help of one or preferably two marshals in the Avenue Park vicinity.

Ladies Surrey League Cross Country 1st match venue change...

Hi Ladies, please note that the venue of our 1st match on 10th October will
now be held at Roundshaw Common, aka Roundshaw Playing Fields, South Beddington.
Start time remains 1200 noon. I will circulate more details nearer the time.

Clara Halket

Magic Mile Results from Thursday 6th August

Previous Best Time

Last recorded time

06-Aug-15

Difference

Best Time

Vaneeta Cro

00:12:20

00:12:20

00:11:56

-24 seconds

00:11:56

Sharon Kassemzadeh

00:06:47

00:07:16

00:07:02

-14 seconds

00:06:47

Richard Ruffell

00:05:59

00:06:16

00:06:10

-06 seconds

00:05:59

Roderick Hoffman

00:07:08

00:07:34

00:07:33

-01 seconds

00:07:08

Chris Kelly

00:05:42

00:06:00

00:06:00

-00 seconds

00:05:42

Dave Bird

00:05:52

00:06:15

00:06:18

+03 seconds

00:05:52

Paul Knechtl

00:04:56

00:04:59

00:05:09

+10 seconds

00:04:56

Simon Ashford

00:06:18

00:06:38

00:06:55

+17 seconds

00:06:18

Bernard Sexton

00:05:16

00:05:16

00:05:57

+41 seconds

00:05:16

Neil Frediani

00:06:34

00:07:11

00:08:06

+55 seconds

00:06:34

Hi All,

It was a deceptively warm day. The sun was trying to break through the
clouds, but the humidity was noticed on the jog to the start. There was a lovely
cooling breeze to go with it, but in the wrong direction for the run! This all
lead to most people have average runs, with the exception of Vaneeta Cro who
managed to record a PB now in the last 3 consecutive months. Vaneeta’s time is
now down to 11:56 as she aims to break the 11 minute barrier in the coming
months. Sharon Kassemzadeh made her first appearance of 2015, recording a time
of 7:02. The best part of the run was the stop at the White Horse, sitting in
the sunshine watching the world go by and being attacked by wasps!

Next event will be on Thursday 3rd September 2015.

Paul Knechtl

Toby Houghton was also seen running the event, albeit early having
misunderstood the start time. His self-timed result has yet to be added.

Club parkrun results for Saturday 8th August 2015

8th August 2015

Family, Friends,+

Time

parkrun

Comment

Grade

Alan

Anderson

28:03

Gunnersbury

improves age cat record

75%

Chris

Kelly

19:42

Reading

200th parkrun at Reading. Total 248 runs.

75%

Richard

Ruffell

20:44

St Albans

run #85

73%

Alice

Banks

26:01

Maidenhead

run #33

71%

Denis

Foxley

24:19

Harrow

run #13, course pb

70%

Joe

Nolan

24:09

Black Park

run #230

66%

Piers

Keenleyside

23:55

Northallerton

BA park #190, park #13

66%

Benita

Scaife

29:08

Catton

1st run at Catton

66%

James

Glover

23:35

Guildford

run #10, parkrun pb

63%

Neil

Frediani

25:18

Northala Fields

first run at Northala Fields

62%

Ben

Chaytow

21:48

Crane Park

run #109

62%

Scott

Davison

23:02

Bedfont Lakes

run #125

61%

Steve

Taylor

24:41

Northala Fields

run #36

61%

Monica

Alonso

26:50

Guildford

50th parkrun at Guildford

60%

Roderick

Hoffman

25:36

Dartford

BA park #191

60%

Kevin

Holland

28:39

Woking

run #19

60%

Joan

Foxley

35:42

Harrow

run #4 (pb 35:09 last week)

59%

Tony

Barnwell

31:23

Wycombe Rye

run #85

58%

Steve

Newell

30:55

Dartford

park #65, Lon-done / M25 fully stuffed

58%

Marion

Taylor

29:46

Northala Fields

run #39

57%

Tony

Hird

26:28

Gunpowder

Gunpowder 105, others nil

56%

John

Scaife

29:14

Catton

3rd run at Catton

55%

Sreeram

Sethuraman

26:29

Upton Court

50th parkrun at Upton Court

50%

Caroline

Cockram

47:14

Harrow

stroll near the back

34%

David

Duggan

47:44

Harrow

stroll near the back

32%

Alastair

Heslop

volunteer

Guildford

Funnel Manager

Pride of place this week goes to Alan Anderson's run at Gunnersbury where he
lowered his own MV80 age category record by 18 seconds down to 28:03.

Chris Kelly intends to round off his "250" at Reading on 22nd August - all
members are invited. He passed another milestone on the way this weekend
with his 200th run at Reading in 19:42. Two other members notched up
notable runs this week - Monica Alonso, 50 at Guildford (26:50) and Sreeram
Serthuraman, 50 at Upton Court (26:29).

Richard Ruffell returned to his home parkrun of St Albans, after 9 runs away
including 8 different venues, and was only 5 seconds off a pb. His
WAVA score of 72.91% was his best ever at St Albans.

Our members ran at two previously unvisited parkruns this week. Piers
Keenleyside was in North Yorkshire to run at the second running of Northallerton
parkrun (23:55) while
Roderick Hoffman (25:36) and Steve Newell (30:55) were at Dartford in Kent.
Those two new venues take the club total to 191, the two hundred is fast
approaching!

Denis Foxley was at Harrow again (24:19) and so was Joan Foxley whose pb of
35:09 last week went unreported. After volunteer duties at Bedfont Lakes
last week the Cockrams and David Duggan were also at Harrow for the first time.

Steve has now run at all 51 parkruns currently being held within the
M25 and has made a point of using his bike, public transport or car share to
reach each one at least once. His knowledge of the suburban train system
is now much improved. Doing all of the parkruns in London is known to
parkrun tourists as "Lon-done" and it doesn't matter whether you define London
as within the M25 or any other classification (there are 47 in the parkrun
"Greater London" region which doesn't include Aldenham or Cassiobury, and about
44 in London Boroughs). But the passage of time can easily convert a Lon-done parkrun tourist
into an ex-Lon-done parkrun tourist!

When I ran at Les Dougnes last month I probably mentioned that the run
director was heavily expecting and that the only other runner and attendee that
day was her partner. This week's results were late and according to the
Facebook entry (translated by computer) "Hello to all and thank you to the
amazing volunteers who have taken on the parkrun this morning while Anita and
Alex were on their way to the maternity!!! Everything is going well and their
baby is in full form :-) . The participations will appear that do tomorrow or
Monday, as a result of all these events. Thank you again for your patience and
wonderful support. Good weekend to all! " The results have now been
published and feature ten finishers, the first eight being first timers with
many also featuring in the helpers list. It is a straightforward course to
run around but they still must have been a bit uncertain on the first lap.

Roderick Hoffman

Decline in Athletics Growth

Most of us will have seen the headlines last week about the decline in the
number of people taking part in sports; and the 2012 Olympics were said to have
only had a short lived impact on numbers. This point is demonstrated in
the graph shown above. Where I'll surprise you is by pointing out that the
graph shows the decline in the UK growth of parkrun. Gone are the years
where the number of venues and participants doubled each year. The growth rate
now is down to less than 50% per year. Now in absolute numbers that is
still an increase and parkrun is correctly being credited as being an exception
to the rule of declining numbers BUT the graph does show that growth is at a
reduced rate - perhaps because the parkrun organisation cannot cope with the
potential absolute growth or perhaps the sponsorship necessary for new parkruns
is maxed out or perhaps there is some other limiting effect. Food for thought.

Roderick Hoffman

News Reports

Dave Barnard came across this blog talking about our dear departed friend and
colleague Patrick Barnes.

"I was in the commentary box alongside my good friend Marc Dragan, probably
the first Aussie pro-triathlete. Drags was visibly moved by Patrick’s efforts,
and said to me: “We need to do something special, Steve.” Wow – praise indeed!
“OK, we’ll cue up the national anthem and when he crosses the line, we’ll play
it.” The finish was on a slightly raised area so the massed crowds could see the
winners. As Patrick turned off the burning Tarmac for his final 30 metres, they
cheered and shouted and applauded.

When he was five yards from the finish, we put on the national anthem and
three things happened. Patrick stopped on the finish line, stood erect and
saluted. My good friend Drags started to cry (OK, so did I!). And behind
Patrick, the three elite women screamed down on him. They were perhaps just five
metres away when he finally strolled over the line to even more applause – not
just for the best of the women, but also very much for him. Patrick took the
silver medal in his age group and was the proudest man there. RIP Patrick. Sleep
softly – we still miss you." Steve Trew